Wolf in hunting law? Saxony calls for rapid implementation

Wolf protection status must be downgraded

After the protection status of the wolf has been downgraded from strictly protected to protected, national regulations for better protection of grazing animals can be introduced, as agreed by the coalition, according to the Federal Ministry. To this end, the wolf is to be included in hunting law and the legally secure removal - i.e. killing - of wolves is to be implemented in the Federal Nature Conservation Act.

For years, the population of wolves in Saxony - and thus also the number of grazing animals killed - had been on the rise. Recently, however, both the number of packs and damage reports have declined. According to the Wolf Unit at the State Office for the Environment, Geology and Agriculture, 361 cases with 1,380 damaged livestock were reported in 2023. This year, there were 98 cases with 260 damaged livestock by mid-August.